Steve Kerr: USA ‘Can’t Get Lulled to Sleep’ vs. Nikola Jokić, Serbia in Olympic Semis.
The Team USA men’s basketball team is one win away from playing in the gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics and standing in its way is a Serbia squad that it has already defeated twice.
However, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr isn’t letting the team get cocky following its wins over Serbia in exhibition and group-stage games, as he told reporters that it won’t be easy to get past three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and Serbia in Thursday’s semifinal.
“We can’t get lulled to sleep because we beat them twice,” Kerr said.
“We have to be prepared for their best effort. We’ve got to think about what are they going to do differently. Jokić, I guess he could play 40 minutes. What else do they have up their sleeve?”
Jokic has been outstanding during the Summer Games, leading Serbia with averages of 19.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst spotlighted the impact the 29-year-old has had, reporting that Serbia is outscoring opponents by 43 points when he’s on the floor while being outscored by 12 points when he’s on the bench.
During its showcase leading up to the Paris Olympics, Team USA defeated Serbia 109-75. The teams opened group play against one another on July 28 and the result was the same, with Team USA earning a 110-84 victory.
However, Windhorst pointed out that the score during the group-stage game was even while Jokic was on the floor.
Team USA took advantage of his limited time on the bench by outscoring Serbia 29-3. Serbia rattled off three straight wins after the loss.
In Serbia’s quarterfinal game against Australia, the team overcame a 24-point deficit to earn an overtime victory. Jokic had 21 points and 14 rebounds in the win, and the team was plus-17 in the minutes he played as opposed to minus-12 in his seven minutes on the bench.
Those figures have fueled Kerr’s belief that Team USA will be getting a heavy dosage of Jokic when they meet on Thursday. Still, the players don’t sound very worried.
